Sasaka, Śaśaka, Shasaka, Shashaka: 21 definitions
Introduction:
Sasaka means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Śaśaka can be transliterated into English as Sasaka or Shashaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Shashak.
Images (photo gallery)
In Hinduism
Shilpashastra (iconography)
Śaśaka: One of the Pañca-puruṣa (‘five stereotypes of men’).—According to the Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa (III.36.6), a śaśaka type is dark red or reddish brown in complexion, he has slightly protruding teeth, full cheeks, large eyelids and is clever. The Bṛhat Saṃhitā (69.20) explains that a person belonging to the śaśaka class, influenced by Saturn, has slightly raised and small teeth, thin nails, large pupils, brisk gait and plump cheeks. He is attached to learning pertaining to minerals and metals and is engaged in trade. He is a leader of armies, fond of sexual pleasures, addicted to others’ wives, fickle-minded, heroic, devoted to his mother and a lover of forests, mountains, rivers and fortresses. The Sārāvalī (37.8–10) adds that a śaśaka type has a small face, weak loins, long body and eyes resembling the lotus.
Śaśaka (शशक) refers to one of the five types of men, defined according to the principles of ancient Indian Painting (citra), according to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, an ancient Sanskrit text which (being encyclopedic in nature) deals with a variety of cultural topics such as arts, architecture, music, grammar and astronomy. In the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, a specific measurement of every limb of a man as well as of a woman is elaborately and systematically discussed. According to this book, there are five types of men viz., śaśaka, [...] The complexion of śaśaka kind of man remains dark reddish.
Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Śaśaka (शशक).—A caste. Karṇa, during his triumphal tour, defeated the King of the Śaśakas. (Vana Parva, Chapter 254, Verse 21).
Śaśaka (शशक) refers to a “(little) hare”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.19 (“Gaṇapati’s marriage”).—Accordingly, as Śiva and Pārvatī said to Gaṇeśa: “O son, you are a supreme soul and your thoughts are pure. What you have said is true and not otherwise. When misfortune comes, if a person is keenly intelligent, his misfortunes perish even as darkness perishes when the sun rises. He who has intelligence possesses strength as well. How can he who is devoid of intellect have strength? The proud lion was drowned in a well with a trick by a little hare (śaśaka). [...]”.
Śaśaka (शशक).—The animal fit for śrāddha purposes.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 88. 13.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shyanika-shastra (the science of Hawking and Hunting)
Śaśaka (शशक) refers to “hares” (which were commonly the victim of hunting), according to the Śyainika-śāstra: a Sanskrit treatise dealing with the divisions and benefits of Hunting and Hawking, written by Rājā Rudradeva (or Candradeva) in possibly the 13th century.—Accordingly, “Hunting by packs of dogs is that in which dogs are let loose at hares (śaśaka) and other animals in arid tracts. In this success or otherwise depends upon the jumping of the hares and their falling into the dogs’ mouths. By their jumps and rebounds they produce abundance of laughter. [...]”.
Shyanika-shastra (श्यैनिकशास्त्र, śyainikaśāstra) deals with ancient Indian skill of hawking/falconry (one of the ways of hunting) which were laid down in a systematic manner in various Sanskrit treatises. It also explains the philosophy behind how the pleasures derived from sense-experience could lead the way to liberation.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Kalpa (Formulas, Drug prescriptions and other Medicinal preparations)
Śaśaka (शशक) or Śaśakaghṛta refers to one of the topics discussed in the Madhumatī, a Sanskrit manuscript ascribed to Nṛsiṃha Kavirāja collected in volume 12 of the catalogue “Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (second series)” by Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri.—The Madhumatī manuscript, consisting of 5,586 ślokas (metrical verses), is housed in Dhaka with Babu Bhagavancandra Dasa Kaviraja. It seemingly addresses topics related to Medicinal, Herbal, and Iatrochemical preparations. The catalogue includes the term—Śaśaka-ghṛta in its ‘subject-matter list’ or Viṣaya (which lists topics, chapters and technical terms). The complete entry reads—śaśakaghṛtavidhānam.
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Sasaka, =sasa J. II, 26; IV, 85; Cp I. 101. (Page 700)
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
śāsaka (शासक).—a S That punishes or corrects: also that governs, rules, directs, orders.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Śaśaka (शशक).—
1) A hare, rabbit.
2) = शश (śaśa) (3) q. v.
Derivable forms: śaśakaḥ (शशकः).
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Śāsaka (शासक).—[śās-ṇvul]
1) A ruler.
2) A chastiser, punisher.
Derivable forms: śāsakaḥ (शासकः).
Śaśaka (शशक).—m.
(-kaḥ) A hare. E. kan added to the last.
Śaśaka (शशक).—[śaśa + ka], m. A hare, [Hitopadeśa] ii. [distich] 116.
Śaśaka (शशक).—[masculine] hare, rabbit.
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Śāśaka (शाशक).—[adjective] relating to a hare, leporine.
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Śāsaka (शासक).—[masculine] teacher, instructor.
1) Śaśaka (शशक):—[from śaś] m. a (little) hare, [Adbhuta-brāhmaṇa; Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] a man of a [particular] character (= śaśa q.v.), [Apte’s The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary]
3) [v.s. ...] [plural] Name of a people, [Mahābhārata]
4) Śāśaka (शाशक):—[from śāśa] mfn. idem, [Harivaṃśa]
5) Śāsaka (शासक):—[from śās] m. a chastiser, teacher, instructor, governor, ruler, [Śiśupāla-vadha] (cf. mahī-ś).
Śaśaka (शशक):—(kaḥ) 1. m. A hare.
Śaśaka (शशक):—(von śaśa) m.
1) Häschen, Hase [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 2, 5, 9.] [Hārāvalī 184.] [ADBH. BR.] in [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 40, 2. v. u.] [Mahābhārata 8, 1800. 1814.] [Rāmāyaṇa 4, 16, 32.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 88, 2. 21.] [Spr. 2440. 2910.] [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 35, 2. 48, 26.] [PAÑCAR. 1, 7, 28.] [Pañcatantra 160, 1. 3. 23. 61, 2.] [Hitopadeśa 83, 6.] śabdajñāna [Oxforder Handschriften 92,b,36.] —
2) pl. Nomen proprium eines Volkes [Mahābhārata 3, 15257.]
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Śāśaka (शाशक):—adj. dass.: śāśakaṃ (śaśakaṃ die neuere Ausg.) mṛgamāṃsaṃ ca [Harivaṃśa 7843.]
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Śāsaka (शासक):—(von 1. śās) nom. ag. = śāstar [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha 2, 200.] [Medinīkoṣa t. 62.] Gebieter, Herrscher; s. mahī .
Śaśaka (शशक) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Sasaga, Sāsaga, Sāhaga.
Śasaka (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 導示 [dǎo shì]: “instruct”.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
1) Śaśaka (शशक) [Also spelled shashak]:—(nm) a rabbit, hare.
2) Śāsaka (शासक) [Also spelled shasak]:—(nm) a ruler; king; master; -[varga] ruling group; -[samāja] the ruling society.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Śaśaka (ಶಶಕ):—[noun] = ಶಶ - [shasha -] 1.
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Śāsaka (ಶಾಸಕ):—
1) [noun] a man who rules or governs.
2) [noun] a man who, as a representative of a section of people, frames the administrative policies in a government; a legislator.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Śāsaka (शासक):—n. ruler; master; adj. ruling; commanding;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+0): Cacakam, Cacakati, Sasakara, Sashakala, Shashakadhama, Shashakadi, Shashakadighrita, Shashakadya, Shashakadyaghrita, Shashakaghrita, Shashakarajas, Shashakarna, Shashakarni, Shashakasarpa, Shashakashishu, Shashakavale, Shashakavishana.
Full-text (+29): Mahishasaka, Shashakavishana, Anusasaka, Shashakashishu, Shashakasarpa, Shashakarajas, Cacakam, Pathavijigucchanasasaka, Shashakadi, Anusasika, Sasaga, She she jia, Shashakaghrita, Shashakadya, Shasha, Dark reddish, Shashakadhama, Shashak, Misha, Atyacari.
Relevant text
Search found 52 books and stories containing Sasaka, Śaśaka, Śāsaka, Śāśaka, Sāsaka, Śasaka, Shasaka, Shashaka; (plurals include: Sasakas, Śaśakas, Śāsakas, Śāśakas, Sāsakas, Śasakas, Shasakas, Shashakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Vishnudharmottara Purana (Art and Architecture) (by Bhagyashree Sarma)
7(a): Portrait of Men and Women < [Chapter 5 - Painting and Image Making]
7(b): Portrait of Different Classes Projected in Painting < [Chapter 5 - Painting and Image Making]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 83 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 2]
Page 225 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Page 255 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
Section CCLII < [Ghosha-yatra Parva]
Satirical works of Kshemendra (study) (by Arpana Devi)
7.10. Summary of the Pancatantra < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
International Ayurvedic Medical Journal
Approach toward ahara dravya through their properties(guna) as mentioned in ayurveda during seasonal changes < [2023, Issue 03, March]
Concept of ahar and vihar in madhumeha w.s.r. diabetes mellitus < [2019, Issue 2, February]
Role of pathya in madhumeha (type-2 diabetes mellitus)-an ayurvedic review < [2016, Issue XI November]